SOCEUR adds first chaplain to its ranks | Stripes

When Lt. Col. Kevin Leideritz arrived at Special Operations Command Europe’s Patch Barracks headquarters in late 2016, it marked the first time in the unit’s 62-year history that it had a chaplain of its own.

The move to establish a full-time chaplain post is helping to open doors inside Stuttgart’s insular special operations community, where leaders say troops under stress could now be more inclined to seek out help.

“It’s incredibly valuable when there’s someone who wears the uniform, who is part of the organization that we see every day…